Russell Eldridge praised the discipline and application of his Little Common Football Club players after winning a dramatic festive derby.

Ten-man Common triumphed 2-0 away to seven-man Bexhill United on Monday thanks to first half goals from Lewis Hole and Nick Richardson.

Little Common player-manager Russell Eldridge on the ball against Bexhill United. Picture by Simon Newstead (SUS-151228-212045002)

Common player-manager Eldridge said: “I think it’s the first time we’ve won here since I took over a few years ago. I thought our disipline and the way we applied ourselves were excellent, and I think that we deserved the win.

“In the first half especially I thought we played extremely well and we controlled the game a little bit. In the first half they couldn’t really live with Nick and he was exceptional, but as we always say, it’s a team effort and I’m really made up for everyone.

“As a spectacle, no-one wants to see lots of people sent-off, but we’ll just concentrate on ourselves. I feel a bit sorry for Dave (Ammoun, the Common full-back sent-off in the first half) - he made two tackles and got two yellow cards. Up until that stage there were some other tackles that maybe warranted bookings and didn’t (get them).

“There were a lot of talking points and I’m sure they will look at them, but ultimately we have to focus on what we do ourselves. That’s what we did and that’s why we’ve come out on top. It’s a job well done.”

I thought our disipline and the way we applied ourselves were excellent, and I think that we deserved the win.

Russell Eldridge

Eldridge is now looking forward to the new year after a strong end to 2015. Common are up to fifth in Macron Store Southern Combination League Division One having won six of their last seven games in all competitions. They are also still involved in three cups.

Eldridge said: “We’ve got a lot to play for in the cups and the league. I think we’ve shown we’re capable of beating teams if we apply ourselves in the right way. We need to just keep picking up those points. With the group of players we’ve got and the attitude we have, hopefully we’ll win more than we lose.”

Common are at home to Langney Wanderers on Saturday before heading to Arundel in the Parafix Sussex Senior Challenge Cup on Tuesday night. Leading scorer Jamie Crone may be out for a couple of weeks with an ankle injury sustained in training.

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